


With Stomachs Full and Hearts Beating

by justlikeswitchblades



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Awkward Dates, Fluff, Food, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-16
Updated: 2014-12-16
Packaged: 2018-03-01 19:14:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2784524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justlikeswitchblades/pseuds/justlikeswitchblades
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The butterflies in your stomach can always be quieted by pork buns.</p>
            </blockquote>





	With Stomachs Full and Hearts Beating

“Alright guys, good practice! Remember, we have a practice match on Saturday, so keep your energy up.” 

Daichi paused for a moment, glancing down at his clipboard, then at Kiyoko, who gave him a brief shake of her head.

“That’s all I have for today. First years can start cleaning up.”

“Osu!” 

Most of the team rose wearily, sweaty and a little sore, but one pair of shoes pealed off the floor with a squeak, their orange-haired wearer dashing off to the closet to grab a mop. 

“Oi, dumbass! We have to take down the net first!” barked Kageyama, stopping Hinata in his tracks. 

The boy scrunched up his nose at him, his chin wrinkling with an exaggerated frown. He stuck out his tongue at the boy when he turned away to pick up an errant ball that had rolled across the gym.

“It doesn’t hurt to have it ready _when_ the net is taken down, Ka-ge-ya-ma.”

Tsukishima snickered. “Now, now, play nice,” he cooed as he walked past them towards the locker room, almost shirking his duties until a warning look from Suga turned him around. He rolled his eyes, but still moved to take down the net from its posts. Yamaguchi trailed along, folding the net up as the blond strode across the gym.

Kageyama dumped the few balls he was juggling into the cart. He wheeled it into the closet and emerged with a mop, handing it sarcastically to his teammate that was eagerly waiting by the door. 

“Be free.”

Hinata let out a whoop as he sped across the gym with the mop, slowing down only for a moment when his own excited feet tried to trip him up. Daichi shook his head—he could never understand how the kid still had so much energy after practice. Maybe he’d have to talk to Coach Ukai to dial up the intensity in their routine. But as he felt the ache in his own hands and feet, he pushed the thought away, and tossed a look at the two second-years loitering near the gym doors.

“Tanaka! Nishinoya!”

The duo stood at attention when their captain called their names and quickly jogged over to him.  
Tanaka removed the damp towel he had around his shoulders.

“What is it, Daichi?”

He jerked his thumb towards the orange blur dashing around the gym. “Did you give him something? Sugar? Caffeine?”

Tanaka let out a breath, no longer fearing any impending doom. “Nah. …Not today, at least.”

Daichi raised an eyebrow. “Not _today?_ ”

“Noya and I tried it once, for science. I wouldn’t try it again.” Nishinoya shook his head grimly in agreement.

Daichi let out a sigh, looking back at Hinata. 

“I guess he’s just happy to be here, then.”

Tanaka smiled, following his gaze. “Well, if I had the same background as he did, I’m sure I’d probably act the same, too.”

“Mm, that’s true.”

Asahi and Suga emerged from the locker room having changed back into their school clothes. They handed Nishinoya and Daichi their respective duffels. 

Nishinoya flashed his senior a grin.

“Thanks, Asahi! Oh yeah, Ryu. We’re gonna go out to dinner—wanna come with? Kiyoko-san will be there, too!”

A worried look crossed the bearded boy’s face.

“You should at least freshen up a little first—”

“Oh, c’mon Asahi, it’s ramen. It’s not _that_ formal.”

“Don’t worry about it, Asahi. Our captain isn’t exactly providing the best example, so I can’t say we can’t expect Noya to change his behavior anytime soon. Right, Daichi?” Suga smiled with a hint of sugary animosity in his words, causing Daichi to glance away with a smile, his fingers scratching his short hair sheepishly. 

Tanaka grinned. 

“Thanks Noya, but I think I’ll have to pass this time. I promised Hinata we’d get pork buns together today. Daichi, I can lock up for you, if you guys want to head out now.”

“Thanks, Tanaka.” The brown-haired boy rifled through his bag for a moment before handing the keys off to his junior. “See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, no problem! Have a good time.” He followed the group outside, waving them off. Twirling the key ring on his finger, he leaned against the gym door, whistling to himself as he looked up at the early evening sky tinged with orange and pink. 

Yamaguchi and Tsukishima emerged from the gym a few minutes later. He lifted a hand as they walked past him.

“See you guys tomorrow.”

Tsukishima put his headphones over his ears. “Yeah.” 

Yamaguchi waved back, smiling. 

“Have a nice evening, Tanaka-senpai!”

Kageyama walked out after them, offering a wave to his senior as he passed by. Tanaka returned the gesture.

“Night, Kageyama.”

“Yeah, see ya.”

He watched the boy’s back for a moment as he walked away, poking his head inside the gym with impatience just a few seconds later.

“Hey, Hinata! You ready?”

“Yeah, sorry!” 

The boy jogged out of the locker room, juggling his jacket and bag. Tanaka held up his hands to slow him down.

“Hey, it’s okay! I don’t wanna rush you. Take your time.” 

Hinata grinned, setting down his duffel. “Thanks, Tanaka-senpai!” He slipped his hands through the arms of his jacket, shrugging it onto his shoulders, then slung his bag across his body. 

“Okay, I’m good now!”

“Alright!” 

Tanaka flipped off the lights, and the pair stepped outside, Hinata rocking back and forth as he watched him lock the door. Slipping the keys into his pocket, he turned around, throwing his arm around the other boy’s shoulder. 

“Ready to get some pork buns with your senpai?”

Hinata’s eyes sparkled, his mouth turning into an O. “Osu!!!”

Tanaka flashed him a grin. “Good! But let’s go get your bike first.” 

His fingertips pressed lightly into his shoulder as they walked towards the bike racks, pausing as he felt Hinata shiver a moment later.

“Is that uncomfortable? Sorry. I can stop, if you want.”

“No, it’s okay!” Hinata shivered again, a faint flush accompanying his ever-present smile. “It actually feels really cool.”

“Oh.” A similar blush rose to his cheeks, and he squeezed Hinata’s shoulder. “Cool.” 

His hand stayed there as they walked, dropping away only when the other boy squatted to fiddle with the lock on his bike. The lock clicked open, and Hinata took it off the rack, dropping into his bag. 

He stood up and pulled his bike away towards himself. 

“Okay, I’m ready now.”

“Do, uh, do you want me to walk your bike for you?”

Hinata blinked, cocking his head to the side slightly. “I can do it just fine by myself…”

“Well, I don’t doubt that.” Tanaka rubbed under his nose with his finger, sporting a shy smile. “But I feel like I should do it at least once. It seems like a…boyfriend kind of thing to do, y’know?”

A grin spread across Hinata’s face as he absorbed the boy’s words.

”Ahhh, that sounds so cool, Tanaka-senpai!”

“Shucks, Hinata…” The boy let out a laugh, rubbing his shaved head. “I try.” He took the bike from Hinata, walking it between them as they headed away from the school. 

Hinata started rubbing his chin, scrunching up his face in concentration. 

“What’s up?”

“Mmm…now I have to think of boyfriend-like things to do for you…”

“Don’t push yourself, Hinata. I mean, we’re hopefully going to be boyfriends for a long time, right? So you have plenty of time to think of stuff that we could do.”

Hinata balked, gawking at the other boy. 

“A long time!? How long are you thinking, Tanaka-senpai!?”

“I mean—well, you usually expect to be with someone you like for as long as possible, right? Like…” 

He struggled for words, pausing to touch the boy’s shoulder, attempting to console him as he muttered that he wasn’t ready for such commitment. 

“Sorry, Hinata. I didn’t think that would put so much pressure on you. We’re both new to this, so I guess I’m not sure what I want to say sometimes…It’s not like I have a specific amount of time in mind, or anything like that. I don’t want us to rush into things, but I don’t want to take things incredibly slow, either. Maybe we should just let things happen naturally.” 

He let out a sigh, frustrated that he wasn’t quite sure of what he wanted, either. “Augh, I hope that makes sense.”

Hinata was silent for a moment as he stared at the ground. 

“…No, it’s okay. I understand.”

“You do?”

“Yeah, I think so.” 

He looked up, offering Tanaka an apologetic smile. 

“Sorry about that. I guess I don’t really know what I want out of calling you my boyfriend just yet, and I was scared you were way ahead of me for a moment there.” 

“I should be apologizing, not you!” 

The boy exhaled, but with a smile this time, his chest feeling lighter. 

“So I guess for now we should just…do what makes us happy.”

Hinata’s smile brightened a bit more. “I like the sound of that.”

“Good.”

The pair resumed walking, sneaking shy glances at each other, looking away awkwardly whenever their eyes met. 

Hinata stared hard at Tanaka’s hand gripping the handlebars. He hesitated for a moment, then placed his hand on top of his. 

“Hm?”

Hinata flushed. “We can’t hold hands with my bike in the way, but we can kind of do it this way…right?”

Tanaka grinned. “Yeah, that’s right! See, Hinata, you can think of cool stuff, too!” 

The boy laughed, attempting to wave the comment away with his free hand, but indulging in it at the same time.

“Oh, you’re too kind, Tanaka-senpai…”

Hinata’s contented smile and the warmth of his hand were more than enough to make Tanaka’s heart jump. He had never been in love before—and he wouldn’t confirm he was in love just yet—but he was definitely making his way there.

They arrived at the restaurant a few blocks later. Tanaka leaned the bike again the side of the small building, and ducked under the curtain above the door, Hinata following behind. 

It was a small, casual place, with a few small tables and even fewer customers sitting down. Tanaka inhaled, taking in the smell of the dough and meat. He stepped up to the counter, catching a glimpse of the kitchen in the back. 

“Hey, Hinata, how many do you think you’ll eat?”

The boy’s brow wrinkled.

“Hmm…I _am_ pretty hungry, but they’re not too small, so…”

Tanaka grinned. 

“Hinata, you’re always hungry. How about I get seven? We each get three, and then we can fight over the last one if we’re still hungry.”

“Alright!”

“Cool.” 

He placed the order, buying two bottles of tea for them as well, then stepped off to the side to wait, handing a bottle to Hinata. 

“Here.”

“Oh, thanks.” Hinata took a gulp from the bottle. 

Tanaka whistled quietly, drawing his phone from his pocket.

“Hey, Noya sent me a snap! C’mon, we need to respond.”

“Ah, okay!” 

Hinata stepped closer to Tanaka, and Tanaka threw his arm around him, the two throwing up peace signs and pulling dumb faces. He cracked a grin, breathing out a laugh as he looked at the final result. 

“That looks good. …Hey, is it okay if I keep this on my phone? Since we don’t have many pictures together?”

Hinata nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine. Can you send it to me, too?”

“Of course,” said Tanaka as he selected Hinata’s name on the screen.

“Can we take one on my phone, too?”

“Sure.” 

Hinata’s smile was less silly this time as he held up his phone. Tanaka tilted his head down, kissing the boy’s hair as he took the picture.

“Hey!” Hinata whipped around, his skull hitting Tanaka’s chin. “You can’t do that!”

“Ow…” Tanaka winced, rubbing his chin. “Hey, we need at least one picture of us together that isn’t stupid. That can be the one.” 

Hinata squinted, pouting a little angrily. 

Tanaka couldn’t tell if his simmering was genuine or being faked, and his expression softened.

“It’s not that bad that I snuck a kiss, is it?”

“At least you have the height advantage to do be able to do stuff like that…” grumbled Hinata softly, glancing away.

“Oh, Hinata…” Tanaka leaned down again. “Here. You can do it to me.”

Hinata looked at him, still pouting a little. Tanaka smiled encouragingly, and with a roll of his eyes, he pressed his lips against the boy’s head. 

“Well? Feel any better?”

He grinned as he watched Hinata try to battle back a smile. 

“…Your hair feels softer than usual.”

“Yeah?” Tanaka ran a hand over his hair. “I usually shave it a day or two sooner, but I’ve been pretty busy this week. I can’t really tell the difference, though.”

Hinata lifted his hand, the smile successfully gracing his lips as he rubbed Tanaka’s head. 

“It feels nice every time you let me touch it, Tanaka-senpai.”

Tanaka’s grin widened. “ _I_ feel nice every time you touch my hair, Hinata.”

Hinata grinned back at him. 

“Hehe…” 

His stomach let out a small growl, and his fingers stopped moving, his gaze focusing on the counter. 

“Oh, our food’s ready!” 

Tanaka jogged up to the counter, grabbing the paper bag. 

“Still want to eat outside?”

The boy nodded eagerly “Mmhm!”

“Sweet.” 

He accompanied Hinata outside, following him as he pushed his bike to a nearby bench. The two sat down, and Hinata snatched the bag out of his hands, nearly swallowing a bun whole. 

Tanaka snorted as he took a bun out of the bag. “Don’t choke!”

The boy tried to respond, but his words were obscured by the food in his mouth. He swallowed.

“I won’t, I promise! I can’t help being so hungry…”

“You do eat a lot…though, with how much you run around, I guess you need the fuel.” 

Tanaka slipped his arm around his shoulder again and watched as Hinata took a second, somewhat smaller bite. He took a bite of his own bun, chewing the meat leisurely as he mulled over a thought. 

“Hey…do you think we should start hanging out at each other’s houses more often?”

“Hm?”

“I mean, I like hanging out at practice with you, and I like going out to eat, too, don’t get me wrong. But it might be nicer to do something else for a change. I don’t really like typical ‘date’ stuff though, so…”

Hinata swallowed. “Yeah, that’s fine.”

“Yeah?”

He nodded. “Mmhm. I have to babysit Natsu sometimes, so you can always come over then.”

Tanaka smiled and squeezed his shoulder. “Sounds fun.” His fingers rubbed the boy’s shoulder absentmindedly as the conversation ebbed for a few minutes.

Hinata pulled the last bun out of the bag and turned, offering it to his teammate.

“Do you want it, Tanaka-senpai?”

He shook his head. “It’s all yours, Hinata.”

“Thanks!” The boy ate more slowly now, his hunger finally sated. 

Tanaka stood up and stretched, letting out a breath as he looked at the darkening sky. Hinata stood as well, and Tanaka turned around to face him, moving a little closer. 

“Well,” he started as he took his hand, their fingers tangling together. “I guess we should say bye for now, huh.”

Hinata exhaled softly, looking up into his eyes. 

“Yeah, I guess so.” 

His eyelids shaded his eyes as Tanaka lifted his free hand to his cheek. He leaned his forehead against Hinata’s gently at first, then with a bit more pressure as he nuzzled the boy with a grin. He paused, pulling back for a moment, then leaned in again as Hinata rose up on his toes. 

Their lips met carefully at first, both a little chapped due to the boys’ energetic natures, but the kiss was gentle. Hinata’s hand moved to Tanaka’s neck, but the act was still innocent, just teetering of the edge of something deeper. He dropped away just the slightest bit, letting Tanaka’s lips graze his once more before pulling away. His gaze was a little shy, but his grin was not. 

“See you tomorrow, Tanaka-senpai.”

“Night, Hinata.” 

He squeezed his hand before reluctantly letting go. They lingered in the space as they shrugged their respectable bags onto their shoulders. Hinata mounted his bike, pushing the pedals slowly, and Tanaka turned around, taking a step in the opposite direction. 

Something squealed to a stop just a few seconds later.

“Tanaka-senpai!”

He grinned and turned around again, spotting Hinata just about half a block away.

“Thanks for the meal!”

He cupped his hands around his mouth. “Don’t worry about it! I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“Bye!”

The bike pealed away, Tanaka waving until Hinata disappeared from his sight. He turned around again, jogging for a moment as he laughed, his chest swelling with happiness.

Hinata was everything that he ever needed.


End file.
